The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to an electrical connector having a metal shield for attaching the electrical connector to circuit boards of different thickness.
An electrical connector is mainly used for transmission of electrical signals between two subsystems, for example a circuit board and a display, a circuit board and a printer, or a circuit board and a scanner. Generally, a conventional electrical connector has a locking element for coupling to a mating electrical connector and ensuring reliable signal transmission therebetween. Related inventions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,518,416, 5,316,500, 5,540,598 and Taiwan Patent Application Nos. 85216105 and 86102088.
The conventional electrical connector is only suitable for mounting on a circuit board having a particular thickness. An external locking element and a grounding element of the conventional electrical connector are generally separate from each other. Thus, production costs rise, and manufacturing and assembly processes become complicated.
Thus, there is a need for an improved electrical connector having an integrally formed locking element and grounding element which is suitable for being secured to circuit boards of different thickness.